A Review Study on The Taxonomic, Phytochemical, And Pharmacological Characteristics Of “Small-Flowered Snakeroot” (Rauwolfia micrantha, Hook. F.)

Abstract

India is one of the 12 mega-diversity countries in the World and has 47,000 plant and 89,000 animal species ranking the country sixth for harboring the largest number of threatened plant species. This unique land mass of India has one of the most varied tropical and subtropical climates, altitudinal ranges reaching up to 2,800 m, and many edaphic conditions. The mentioned factors confer a variety of micro-climatic/ecological niches that nurture one of the richest endemic flora of peninsular India. With its exceedingly environmentally heterogeneous biogeographic area, the Western Ghats as a whole is an abode of rich diverse flora. The present work has been conducted to review and assess the taxonomic characters, phytochemical properties, and pharmacological uses of Rauwolfia micrantha. Rauwolfia micrantha is an important evergreen, woody, shrub used in the modern medical system and also in Ayurveda, Unani, and folk medicine. It is also a source of pharmacologically important active chemicals and alkaloids. The data obtained from the present study will help in understanding the potential and importance of Rauwolfia micrantha and assert the significance of its conservation through micropropagation and other biotechnological tools.